Eco-Converts: How To Find Incentive To Stay On The Green Track.

Does this sound familiar?

So how many times have you tried to separate for recycling? Use non toxic products? Take vitamins every day?..... exactly.

I fell off the wagon within a few weeks, every earth day. I would vow to make small changes, and low and behold I'd say the same thing again the next year. What could I do to make this year different? To make it stick?

Getting a new recycling bin in the kitchen with drawers was a start. Then I got biobags for the can. I was diligent in my efforts but it came with yet another obstacle. Getting the family to follow suit!

TIP: Ever since watching this video, my son recycles EVERYTHING: ClimateCrisisJam.org

Then, I focused on the electricity usage in our home. I bought energy saving bulbs and began replacing the burned out ones with these. That wasn't too hard, but our lighting was a little "off" until they all got replaced. There were over 48 light bulbs in our house! Have you ever counted yours? Do it, you'll be as suprised as I was.

Included with the electricity "scan", were the televisions and computers that are constantly in the "on" mode, even when turned off. I bought the smart power strips that turn the entire set of plugs off, when the TV is turned off. We have directv so the satellite has to warm up for a minute when we turn it back on. But that's not too bad.

Did you know that if every family did this ONE thing that co2 would be reduced by 45% in each household? That's a big difference!

In the laundry, I began using only laundry wash without phosphates and asked the family to rewear clothes that weren't dirty. That reduced the amount of loads by half! Of course, the kiddos have to be helped with that.

I bought a dozen canvas shopping bags AND have learned to keep them in the front seat of the car, so I don't smack myself on the forehead each time I'm in the checkout line because I left them in the trunk! I used to use these plastic bags for the doggie stuff, but have found a doggie bio bags for that too! I've started telling people about it on our walks. Maybe I'll contact the city about those dog park baggies?

Here's the kicker, when I was going through the motions of being an 'eco-convert', I still felt as though I was about to give up at any moment. Dealing with change wasn't easy. I had almost fell off the wagon again when it dawned on me. I need incentive to keep going.

I began to ponder the thought, "what if we were paid to do it?" Heck, you wouldn't go to that job everyday if you didn't get paid. I think that's the most powerful incentive of all.

So, I searched for the "affiliate program for going green". Hmm. Not much luck. Seems no one wanted to pay me for that, in fact, the garbage company actually charges us to pick it up! Ok, I had to change my angle.

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I was browsing this great site (squidoo, of course) and found out I could share my inspiration and earn affiliate income from doing what I love!

So then I was inspired! Not enough to start drinking wheat grass, ew! But I began to spread the word at schools, clubs, churches, meetup meetings, anywhere people would congregate.

There are so many ways to "get paid to go green" but my favorite has to be social networking! CafeMom, Squidoo, Amazon, blogger, any one... can earn affiliate incomes from your genuine recommendations to products that you bought and helped you!

That's how it all started. My transition through this Eco-Convert phase in life was going to stick this time!

Well, I'm happy to report, it has stuck! Over a year later and I'm greener than I've ever been and heck, Kermit was wrong, it is easy being green! When you get paid! lol

I'm gonna go plant a tree now... in the meantime, decide how you will inspire yourself and what kind of incentive you will need to keep your "going green" efforts, SUSTAINABLE! Good Luck!

A child is born with an inherent affinity for nature. But the more toy companies try to keep your child's minds busy, the more they remove this connection. Plastic toys could never compare to finding a good stick or making a fairy house near a tree!

Also, the fears of the newscasts are creating fearful parents, afraid of letting the children play outside on their own. Children should be supervised, but they just need to stick together. But since it won't ever be like it used to be, we need to have alternatives that are safer. Here are some ways to create a sense of freedom in your child's backyard adventures!

For example. Make sure your home isn't the best place to play. What I mean by that, is to create the desire to get their entertainment via other means. Instead of a child wanting to stay inside and watch cartoons, play with leggos, or color, make it more pleasureable for them to go outside.

When buying toys, it's a nice thing to do, but purchase wisely. Ask yourself: will this toy create desire for my child to explore other things? Will this toy connect my child to nature or education?

One problem is that kids today expect to be entertained instead of entertaining themselves. As a child, I remember on those days when I wasn't so imaginative, I would just sit on my swing. Contemplation would commence and I would be inspired to do something else. Like go to a friend's house, or make a mud pie!

Link to buy mud here.... just kidding!

Look at this picture! When's the last time you were this happy just playing in the mud?

Photograph courtesy of Brandy's Blog! Check it out!

Going green isn't as controversial as the politicians and the conspiracy theorists would like us to believe.

Getting back to a more natural existence with our surroundings is just common sense when it comes to taking care of our health and the health of our environment.

Everything we eat, drink, breath and medicate ourselves with, comes from the Earth. Hence the need to protect it is obvious.

Home remedies preceeded any organic, natural products that come in a bottle. So when considering purchases that would help you to be more eco-friendly, take a moment to read labels, buy in concentrate and buy organic if you can, especially from local farmers.

Consumption
Number one on my list was to stop buying "stuff" that I we really don't need. I think it's most obvious on garbage day. How many people need 2 large garbage cans? What are we throwing away every week? I'm down to one bag in my can each week and my recycling bins are full. It used to be the other way around.

Homemade Cleaners:
Homemade cleaning recipes can be found everywhere these days, but some still recommend ingredients like detergents, borates and lye that are not as eco friendly. So just watch out. There are some pretty funky recipes out there, so you decide. Read on.

Three Things No EcoFriendly Home Should Be Without:
Vinegar, peroxide and baking soda are three things no household should be without. These can be used for literally everything. I use vinegar in my dishwasher rinse agent dispenser instead of jetdry too. It's a buck for a gallon of vinegar, and it's 2.39 for a small bottle of jetdry. I use peroxide to kill germs in between steam cleaning. (You know it works, that's why Mom always treated your cuts with it!) Baking soda is perfect for light scrubbing and drain cleaning. Yup, just put some baking soda in the drain and add a little vinegar to get those "scrubbing bubbles" action in your drainpipes! Or, just throw a cut up lemon in your disposal and turn it on. No more stinky drain!

Healthy Alternatives To Cleaners:
Steam machines, like the Shark Steam Blaster and Mop are great! No chemicals, soaps, mysterious homemade recipes, nada. Just hot steam kills everything. I use them about once per week around the bathrooms and tile floors. That's it.

Why All The Hype?
The clorox company would like us to believe our homes are saturated with deadly germs, viruses and bacteria that would kill us if we didn't use their toxic chemicals. That's what we're fed over the tv tube and ads. It's just not necessary and is, in fact, very dangerous to our health as studies have shown. Now you get why politicians and corporations have started the hype, right?

Earth Day is truly a reminder, just like your birthday is, that you must take care of yourself EVERY DAY! The Earth is included in that scenario.

Having bugs in your house is no fun but it can be avoided by simply keeping a few things in mind.

1. Do not leave a food source for them. They will leave if there's nothing to eat! This means crumbs on the floor or in the cabinets. Leaving dirty dishes or food out will just attract them. Enclose cereals, flour, rice, etc in ziplock bags, forever! Really!

2. Close the entry point. When tracking down an intruder, find out where they are coming in and close it up. Use caulk, joint compound, a door sweep or weather stripping to do the job.

3. Use healthier alternatives to pest control. Arbico Organics makes an excellent alternative. Just use around entryways.

Remember: Use pest control with common sense! You don't want to kill the lizards, ladybugs and spiders, they're the best pest controllers!

I think it's great! I don't like to have garage sales, especially when I seem to have only a few things each year I want to let go of! But I'm learning that there's a lot of stuff that people would throw into our landfills if not for freecycle.org groups.

Freecyclenetwork is a great lens to learn more about it!

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